Playing ball cover



Jan. 20, 1942. R. J. POTITO PLAYING BALL COVER Filed Dec. 17, 1940Patented Jan. 20, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PLAYING BALL COVERRalph J. Potito, Revere, Mass.

Application December 17, 1940, Serial No. 370,505

Claims.

This invention relates to playing balls. More particularly it relates toa new and improved anti-skid means snugly, but detachably, fitted to afootball or the like.

The conventional football may be described as a prolate spheroidcomprising an internal inflatable bladder and an external leather casinghaving longitudinal seams. As is well known, one of the seams isinterrupted for a substantial portion of its length, providing alongitudinal opening for insertion of the bladder, and this opening isadapted to be closed up tightly usually by means of a rawhide thonglacing. The bladder is provided with an inflating valve adapted to bereached by and connected to a suitable source of compressed air eitherthrough the laced opening or more desirably through a small reenforcedauxiliary opening in the casing provided for the purpose. In the lattercase, the lacing may be tightened and made fast before the ball isinflated.

In passing and handling the ball the players are accustomed to make useof the seams and, particularly, the lacing as aids in achieving a highermeasure of control and preventing fumbles. Where the ball is passed fromone player to another the passer will, ordinarily, in the interest ofgreater accuracy, place his fingers over the lacing so that in throwingthe ball he may impart to it a spin about its longer axis such as toprevent its tumbling or wobbling in flight. The effect may be comparedto that produced by the rifling in the barrel of a weapon from which abullet is fired. In wet weather the conventional ball becomes veryslippery and diflicult to handle, and often acquires a coating of mud.Due to the increased difficulties in these circumstances of carrying outan aerial offensive, the game usually reverts to the more conservativeof running plays so as to minimize the risk of fumbles and interception.Much of the games spectator-appeal is thus sacrificed.

The main object of my invention is to provide a simple and readilydetachable reticular anti-skid covering for a standard football, whichtakes the form of an all-over lacing-like covering, so that even in themost adverse weather conditions the ball may be readily grasped, passedand manipulated by the players without any increased danger of fumblingor loss of control and without the necessity of a player first orientingthe ball in his hand with respect to the casing lacing.

To this end, my invention comprises a reticular cover accessory ofstrand material fitted over the ball. Such strand material should, toinsure a firm fit, be inelastic and the covering preferably takes theform of a sturdy net, comparable to a fish net, made of strong inelasticcord.

Such a net may be laced tightly over the outer surface of the ball and Ihave found that in addition to improving the firmness of the fit, theanti-skid characteristics are enhanced if the net includes knots in thestrand material at each intersection, except where the net is laced. Ihave illustrated a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawingwherein like numbers represent like parts in the several figures.

Figure 1 is a View of my net prior to attachment, portions of the sameand the ball being represented by broken lines.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a conventional football equipped with mynetlike device; and

Figure 3 is an end view of the same.

As shown in Fig. 1, prior to application my net is substantiallyrectangular in form and is formed of cords l which are securely knottedtogether, as by square knots 2, at their intersections. A cord 3 ofsubstantial length is provided for the pur- ,pose of taking up the loops4 at each end 5 of the net so that when the net is applied the cord 3assumes substantially a circular form through which the nose 6 of theball 1 projects for a short distance at each end. An extension 8 of oneof the cords 3, or an additional cord, is provided for the purpose oflacing together the two sides 9 of the net lengthwise of the ball afterthe net has been wrapped around the ball. Preferably, as shown, the netis shorter than the length of the ball and the nets other dimension isappreciably less than the circumference of the ball midway between itsends, so that the lacings will act to draw edges of the net firmlytogether in a snug fit about the ball.

I prefer to put my netted covering in place before the bladder has beencompletely inflated. To this end, the net is wrapped around the ballafter substantial but incomplete inflation, and the loops 4 at the ends5 taken up by the cords 3, which act as draw strings. Next, thelongitudinal sides of the net'are tightly laced'together by means of theextension 8 so that the covering will fit snugly around the outersurface. The ends I0 and II of the cords 3 and of the extension 8,respectively, are securely tied and the ball may then be further andcompletely inflated. By this procedure, the covering Will be found tofit so tightly that there is no danger of its working loose or catchingin the players clothing, footwear or the like. The structural knots 2'at the intersections of the cords throughout the major portion of thenet are provided not only for the purpose of furnishing a betterfrictional surface but also to prevent slippage of the strands relativeto one another.

It is evident that nets of various forms and materials may be used inthe practice of this invention. I have found that good results may beobtained by using a relatively fine but strong inelastic cord or twineof say size #18 and with meshes of the net of approximately one inch ona side. In the embodiment shown, I have used a single cord to gather theloops at one end of the ball and to lace together the sides of the net,

while a distinct cord gathers up the loops at the other end. The looseends of these two cords may be tied together or to the net asconvenient. Other means for retaining the net in place may be usedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

My covering may be adapted for use with other types of playing balls aswell as with footballs, and, indeed, it may be used advantageouslywherever it is desired to provide a ball with an anti-skid surfacewhether the ball be of round or of elongated shape.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. In combination with aninflated conventional football, an anti-skid covering detachablypositioned around said ball, and comprising a tubular net of intermeshedinelastic strand material of a length less than the length of said ball,positioned around said ball, and drawstrings gathering edges of said netat each end of said ball and firmly drawing said net into a snug fitwith relation to the surface of said ball.

2. In combination with a playing ball of prolate spheroidal shape havingan inflated bladder and a casing, a rectangularly shaped net ofintermeshed inelastic cord material knotted at each intersectionpositioned around said ball and strand lacing means gathering edges ofsaid net at the ends of said ball and interlacing edges of said netalong one side of said ball and drawin said net into a snug fit withrelation to the S111".- face of said ball.

3. In combination with an inflated playing ball of prolate spheroidalshape, a net of inelastic strand material having one dimension less thanthe length of said ball and another dimension less than thecircumference of said ball midway between its ends, said net beingpositioned about said ball, and drawstring means gathering an edge ofsaid net at each end of said ball and interlacing edges of said netalong one side of said ball, and firmly drawing said edges together toprovide a snug fit of said net with relation to the surface of saidball.

4. An anti-skid covering for a conventional football, comprising arectangularly shaped knotted cord net, and lacing means including adrawstring adapted to gather two edges of said net around ends of afootball and interlace the other edges of said net longitudinally ofsaid ball to draw said net into a snug fit over the surface of saidball.

5. An anti-skid covering for a conventional playing ball, comprising aknotted net of inelastic strand material having a dimension in onedirection less than the length of said ball, and a dimension in theother direction less than the circumference of said ball midway betweenits ends, and drawstring means adapted to gather an edge of said net ateach end of said ball and interlace two edges of said net longitudinallyof said ball to draw said net into a snug fit over the surface of saidball and retain said net tightly positioned with relation thereto RALPHJ. POTITO.

